Principal Medicinal Chemist: AI-Driven Drug Discovery Leader

Deep Origin Inc.; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-friendly

Equity

Competitive pay

Cross-time-zone

Job summary

Deep Origin Inc. in San Francisco is seeking a Principal/AD Medicinal Chemist to lead drug discovery programs from hit identification through IND-enabling studies.

This is a senior, hands-on scientific leadership role requiring deep expertise in medicinal chemistry, strategic thinking, and cross-functional collaboration. This position calls for a highly creative and experienced chemist who can independently design and execute medicinal chemistry strategies while contributing to the integration

Qualifications

• PhD in Organic Chemistry or a related field with 3–8 years of industry experience in medicinal chemistry.
• Proven track record of advancing drug discovery programs through Hit-to-Lead and Lead Optimization.
• Deep expertise in synthetic organic chemistry, modern methods and reaction mechanisms.
• Strong experience in structure-based and ligand-based drug design.
• Demonstrated ability to optimize compounds for potency, selectivity, and DMPK/safety properties.
• High level of creativity, productivity, and independent problem-solving ability.
• Experience managing external CROs and collaborating across disciplines.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to clearly present complex scientific concepts.

Responsibilities

• Propose and independently drive medicinal chemistry strategies to progress programs from hit identification through lead optimization to development candidate selection.
• Lead chemistry efforts within cross-functional project teams, including bench biologists, DMPK lead, non-clinical tox lead, computational scientists, ML engineers.
• Design, prioritize, and guide synthesis of novel compounds using structure-based and ligand-based approaches to optimize potency, selectivity, pharmacokinetics and developability.
• Interpret and integrate SAR, structural biology, DMPK, pharmacology, and safety data to drive compound design and progression.
• Contribute to and integrate AI-driven and computational modeling insights into compound design strategies.
• Serve as a technical leader and mentor for internal chemists and external collaborators.
• Manage external CRO partnerships to ensure high-quality and timely delivery of chemistry objectives.
• Communicate program strategy, data, risks, and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Author and contribute to patent strategies and applications, scientific publications, and internal reports.

Skills

Medicinal chemistry

Structure-based design

Ligand-based design

DMPK safety

CRO management

Cross-functional leadership

Communication skills

AI-driven design

Education

PhD in Organic Chemistry or related field

Job description

Deep Origin Inc. in San Francisco is seeking a Principal/AD Medicinal Chemist to lead drug discovery programs from hit identification through IND-enabling studies.

This is a senior, hands-on scientific leadership role requiring deep expertise in medicinal chemistry, strategic thinking, and cross-functional collaboration. This position calls for a highly creative and experienced chemist who can independently design and execute medicinal chemistry strategies while contributing to the integration